ETHICS HUB

Introduction

The Ethics Hub of the Journal of Nepal Medical Association (JNMA) is a dedicated platform to ensure the highest standards of research integrity, publication ethics, and transparent editorial practices. It serves as a central resource for authors, reviewers, editors, and readers to understand, navigate, and adhere to ethical guidelines in scholarly publishing. The hub supports JNMA’s commitment to responsible research, accountability, and the promotion of trust in scientific communication.

The Ethics Hub provides comprehensive guidance on authorship, peer review, data management, research ethics, conflict of interest, plagiarism, and post-publication processes. It also serves as the formal channel for reporting and resolving ethical concerns, including allegations of misconduct.

Aims

The Ethics Hub aims to:

1. Promote ethical research and publication practices among authors, reviewers, and editors.

2. Provide clear, accessible guidelines for authors and reviewers on responsibilities, disclosure, and reporting standards.

3. Facilitate transparent and accountable journal management practices.

4. Support the identification, reporting, and resolution of ethical concerns in research and publication.

5. Enhance trust in scientific integrity by maintaining transparent policies on data sharing, conflicts of interest, and authorship.

6. Educate the research community on best practices in research ethics, plagiarism avoidance, and proper peer review conduct.

Objectives

The objectives of the Ethics Hub are to:

1. Update Author and PEER-Reviewer Guidelines

o   Update the author and peer review guidelines in accordance with World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) recommendations to ensure the highest standards of ethical practices in research and publication.

2. Implement Processes to Identify Ethical Concerns

o   Manage allegations of research, publication, or review misconduct.

o   Designate contact points and an Ethics Subcommittee to investigate complaints impartially.

o   Define processes for whistleblower protection, institutional communication, and inter-journal coordination.

3. Manage Conflicts of Interest

o   Require mandatory disclosure from authors, reviewers, editors, staff, and publishers.

o   Define types of competing interests, extent, and time frame for disclosure.

o   Outline collection, verification, and publication of conflict-of-interest information.

4. Enhance Data Transparency

o   Implement Level 2 data sharing: authors must submit raw data used in analysis; manuscripts include the statement: “The data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.”

o   Encourage proper citation of data and adherence to reporting guidelines.

o   Provide guidance for anonymized data sharing while protecting confidential patient information. 

5. Ensure Compliance with Research Ethics

o   Require prior ethics approval for all original research as per the Nepal Health Research Council Act, 2020, Section 11.

o   Provide guidance on informed consent, institutional oversight, and adherence to international research guidelines.

o   Implement checks to prevent plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, authorship misconduct, and peer review manipulation.

6. Address Plagiarism and Redundant Publication

o   Define plagiarism, duplicate, or overlapping publications.

o   Provide clear policies for reproduction of copyrighted material and prior publication.

o   Implement review thresholds (>30%: decline; 15–30%: revision; <15%: acceptable).

7. Promote Ethical Journal Management

o   Ensure transparency in journal name, publisher, International Standard Serial Number (ISSN), editorial board, business model, copyright/licensing, fees, publication frequency, and peer review model.

o   Maintain proper archiving and long-term digital preservation of content.

o   Provide clear communication on marketing, advertising, and editorial independence.

8. Support Post-Publication Review

o   Allow post-publication discussion, commentary, and correction mechanisms.

o   Define processes for expressions of concern, corrections, and retractions.

9. Operationalize the Ethical Subcommittee

o   Establish a formal Ethics Subcommittee with coordinator, member secretary, and members.

o   Provide a dedicated focal person (jnma.ethicalcommittee@gmail.com) for complaints.

o   Outline timelines: acknowledgment (one week), preliminary assessment (two weeks), full resolution (six weeks).